A New Master
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Follows Underwater Mysteries. Urumasa's still deep in the ocean. How long before it finds it's way back to shore and someone earns themself the chance to wield the most powerful sword in existance?
1. Dayu Misses Dekker

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything._

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><p>Dayu's heart was shattered daily as she watched the only man she ever loved walk the Earth. She had encountered the warrior a couple of times since he lost Urumasa and she had begged him to find the sword and exact his revenge on the Rangers and Serena for what they had done to the blade, but Dekker always insisted he was a changing man. Dayu couldn't stand to hear it or watch him change from the strong, fierce warrior he had once been, to a pathetic, love-sick man. He wasn't even in love with the right woman. He was hers. He belonged to her.<p>

Dayu clenched her fists as she thought of Serena. She wanted nothing more than to rid herself of the yellow Ranger's sister once and for all. Once she was out of the picture, Dekker would have no choice but to fall back in love with Dayu. They were meant to be.

But she knew she had to be careful about how she went about winning Dekker's heart. Kidnapping Serena wouldn't work. The Rangers would come after her and Dekker, blinded by what he thought was love, would do anything he could to rescue Serena. That was why her plan failed the first time. She didn't realise just how fooled her beloved was. She needed another plan. One that would wipe Serena from Dekker's life completely and that would get him to remember the woman he truly loved.

She turned away from the water, leaving the beach. For now she had to settle with leaving Urumasa at the bottom of the ocean. She knew it was the only thing that could restore Dekker back to the man she loved: a man who was strong and powerful; a man who knew what he wanted and never settled for less. Master Xandred was calling her, and unless she wanted him to find out she was trying to help Dekker, she was needed back in the Netherworld.

"Soon," she whispered to the sword just before disappearing.

-Samurai-

Later in the day, just as the sun was setting, the Rangers were in the plaza trying to fight off the Moogers terrorizing the city. In the distance, Dayu was watching. Master Xandred wanted her to make sure the Moogers caused enough suffering to raise the river. If she could successfully complete her mission, the water would rise and the Nighlok would grow stronger.

Unfortunately, the Rangers were getting better at their job. It seemed that without the fear of a surprise attack from Dekker, they were a lot more focused on Master Xandred, and harder to defeat. They were stronger, braver, more confidant… but Dayu just saw that as another reason to bring back Urumasa and return Dekker back to his powerful self. Maybe Master Xandred would approve of her mission if he understood that Dekker weakened the Rangers and made them easier to defeat. With the Samurai out of his way, the world would be his to flood.

She gazed over at the Rangers when she saw they were nearly done with the Moogers and she scoffed. She was no longer needed here on Earth and she had to talk with Master Xandred. Just as the six Samurai defeated the last few Moogers, she disappeared.

"What a workout," Mike panted as he powered down and doubled over. He rested his hands on his knees and looked up at Jayden, "I don't know what's worse: hundreds of Moogers, or a small group of them and a Nighlok."

"Still no sign of Arachnitor," Antonio pointed out. "Or any other powerful Nighlok for that matter. All we've been facing are clowns and jokesters. It's like Master X isn't even trying anymore."

"This does worry me," Jayden nodded. "Mentor thinks the longer Arachnitor stays in the Netherworld, the stronger he gets."

"He better come out soon, then," Kevin said. "It would be better for everyone."

Kevin saw all the Rangers nodding in agreement except for Mia. She didn't seem to be paying any attention at all. Instead, she was focused in the distance, her eyes resting on the spot where Dayu had been standing. When Kevin saw this he sighed.

"Mia…"

"She looked hurt."

"Who cares?" Kevin shook his head. He would always support Mia, but the last time she tried to help a half-Nighlok she had nearly gotten herself killed. Thankfully it worked out for the best in the end, but there was no guarantee she would get the same results if she tried to meddle a second time. "Dayu can take care of herself."

"At least she's here," Emily muttered. "I don't care what she does or what kind of Nighlok she sends after us, as long as she doesn't go to the Tengen Gate."

"Do you think she knows?" Mia turned to her little sister, "About Serena and Dekker, I mean?"

"I hope not."

"Dayu's sketchy," Mike wrapped his arm around Emily's shoulders and squeezed her comfortingly. "She always has been. My guess is she's trying to figure out which one of us to kill. Maybe she forgot all about Dekker."

"Serena told me she thinks Dayu has a crush on Dekker," Emily pointed out. Mia nodded her head.

"I wouldn't be surprised. The way she went after Serena… and you heard her. She said it was a matter for her and Dekker, though Dekker didn't seem to feel the same way."

"Girls, c'mon, it's just Dayu…"

"Do you think she's mad?" Emily asked, ignoring Kevin's comment. Mia shrugged her shoulders.

"Would you be?"

"It's like talking to a brick wall," Kevin threw his hands up in the air when he realised the girls weren't going to listen to him. Mia was so wrapped up in her suspected love triangle between Dekker, Dayu and Serena and Emily was too worried about Serena's wellbeing to let the matter go.

"Maybe it's time I did a little more research. It worked for Dekker, maybe we can save Dayu," Mia said.

"Save the monster who's trying to kill us?" Antonio rolled his eyes, "Alright, fine, I admit, it paid off with Dekker. But he was in love with a human! Dayu's totally different."

"I'll head home," Mia continued as if Antonio hadn't said a thing. The boys were really starting to feel invisible now. It didn't help that Mia wasn't even looking at them. Only Emily, "Want to help me?"

"Are you kidding?" Emily shook her head, "Dayu nearly killed my sister. I don't want to save her!"

"Your choice," Mia shrugged.

Mia started to make her way home, leaving the other Rangers in the plaza. Kevin watched her walk away and sighed loudly. He knew there was no point in trying to stop her, but he was going to have to keep his eye on her. If she let herself get carried away, he was scared she was going to get herself in a lot of trouble.

Mike was standing beside Emily, snapping his fingers in her face to see if she would remember he was there. Emily's eyes slowly shifted their focus from Mia to Mike and she frowned.

Swatting his hands away from her face she muttered: "Stop that, Mike."

"You do see me," he chuckled. "Look, Em, don't worry about Dayu."

"But Mia's usually right about stuff like this…"

"She watches way too many love movies," Antonio nodded. "Life isn't a fairy tale. Sometimes shit happens. No todo lo que brilla es oro."

"But what if she is mad at Serena?" Emily asked. "What if…"

"Emily, do you want to call your sister to check up on her?" Jayden asked, offering the yellow Ranger his cell phone. Emily nodded and took it from him without a second thought. She had Serena's number memorized and dialled it as she took a few steps away from the boys.

"That's Emily," Kevin sighed, "What about Mia?"

"It wouldn't hurt to let her do a little digging," Jayden shrugged his shoulders. "She might find something useful. But tell her to talk with all of us before she does anything. Mia's a reasonable person. She'll understand it's better to be safe than sorry."


	2. A Ball

Dekker had made it to another city, far away from where the Rangers lived. He had no clue where he was, all he knew was that he was still near the ocean.

Since leaving Serena he had done a lot of thinking. His mind had been cleared with Urumasa out of his head and there was no voice of cravings to distract him from his thoughts. He wanted to figure out what he truly needed in life; if Serena was worth going after, or if she was just a passing fling. He wouldn't go back to her if he didn't truly love her, for he didn't want to hurt her or mislead her. He realised it had been centuries since he had a relationship with another human being, especially a woman, and while his Nighlok side had no sexual cravings, his human side did.

Aside from Serena, the only other thought on his mind was whether or not he could be a good person. Even without Urumasa he was still part-Nighlok and he was still made to cause suffering to humans. Serena made him feel like his Nighlok half didn't exist, but he wasn't really sure how long she would have that effect. If one day it wore off and he let his Nighlok half get the better of him, she would be right in harm's way. An easy and unsuspecting prey. He had to figure himself out before he went back to her, for her own safety.

As he leaned against a railing to look out at the ocean he heard a voice in his head that he hadn't heard for a couple of months. Something was calling him. Someone needed him. He held his head in his hands and his face twisted in slight pain. It was then he felt someone tugging on his shirt.

"Are you okay, mister?"

Dekker looked down to see a little boy staring up at him with big, curious and innocent eyes. He took a deep breath and buried the pain as much as he could before nodding.

"Yeah, kid. I'm fine."

"Good," the little boy turned to the railing and poked his arm through the bars, "My ball fell into the ocean."

"Too bad," Dekker said before turning to walk away. He had very little patience with children, but the little boy followed him and tugged on his shirt again.

"There's a path to the beach," Dekker heard him say. "Can you swim, mister?"

"I'm not getting you your ball," Dekker growled. "Maybe next time you won't throw the ball into the ocean."

"I didn't throw it," the little boy frowned. "Cindy kicked it."

His little arms pointed to a young girl standing in the field. Dekker's eyes strayed over to her and he sighed.

"It doesn't matter who threw it…"

"Kicked it," the boy corrected him.

"It doesn't matter," Dekker repeated through clenched teeth. "Your ball is in the ocean. It is lost."

"It was my favourite ball," the little boy lowered his head and sighed. "My daddy bought it for me when I won my soccer championship last year! Please, can you get it back?"

"No," Dekker started looking around the park and field. Surely this kid would have a parent or guardian nearby, "Go home."

"I can stay until the street lights go on," the little boy answered. He tugged on Dekker's shirt again, "Please mister, you have to help me! Can you please go get my ball?"

Dekker, realising this little boy was too stubborn to shake off, looked over the railing and into the ocean. The ball was way too far out now. Even if he wanted to, there was no way he could swim all the way out to retrieve it and swim back. He rolled his eyes and was about to break the bad news to the boy but his eyes caught a little shop and there was a ball in the window.

"Your ball is lost," he said to the boy, "how about you get another one?"

The little boy looked over his shoulder and he too spotted the shop, but his eyes didn't light up like Dekker expected.

"I don't have money."

"You mean coins?" Dekker reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. He had picked up quite a few on the streets as he traveled and yet never found a need to spend any of it. Hopefully it would be enough to purchase the ball for the boy.

Dekker contemplated doing the good deed and suddenly the voice was back, louder than before. Dekker clutched his head again and nearly doubled over in pain. The voice was telling him not to help the boy and to rid himself of the little nuisance before he could cause any more trouble. Dekker tried to shake those thoughts from his head. He was no longer a man who would harm others, no matter how much he wanted to. He closed his eyes and thought of Serena. What would she do if she were here?

"Mister, are you okay?" the little boy asked when he saw Dekker was in pain. Dekker clenched his teeth. He had to ignore the pain for the boy's sake.

"Get your friend," he winced slightly as he straightened himself out and masked his pain. "I will buy you a new ball."

"Do you have enough money, mister?"

"Let me take care of that," Dekker said to the boy before he ran off to get his friend and the three of them walked to the shop.

Dekker was a little short of cash for the new ball, but the owner of the store was very generous when he heard the boy had lost his special ball in the ocean and reduced the price. Dekker felt really good when the new ball was handed to the boy and a smile lit up his entire face, and Dekker also noticed that the voice screaming inside his head seemed to fade into the background as the good feeling grew stronger. He knew Serena would be proud of how he helped the boy.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist. Dekker stood completely still in shock for a moment before looking down and seeing the boy was giving him a hug.

"You're a very nice man, mister," he said. "Thank you for getting me my ball. I hope your headache goes away."

Dekker patted the boy gently on the head and scooted him out of the shop, "Just be a good boy and don't lose this ball."

"I won't!" the boy promised as he led his friend back to the field. Dekker stepped out of the shop and watched them run off, a smile tugging at his lips. It was then he heard another voice.

"Who are you?"

He recognised this one and turned to see Dayu standing in the shadows, making herself as invisible as possible. Dekker took this as a sign that she meant no harm to him or the civilians and brushed her off.

"You are a fool, coming to find me after what you did to Serena."

"Urumasa's calling for you, isn't it?" Dayu asked. "I was watching you with that disgusting boy. You seemed to be in pain. Only Urumasa…"

"What I do with my life is none of your concern."

"You shouldn't have helped that boy. The Dekker I know would never have…"

"I am not the man you thought you knew," Dekker growled and turned away from Dayu. She scoffed.

"Man? You are a Nighlok! Just like me. It's only a matter of time before you realise you can't be both a human and a Nighlok."

"I choose human, then," Dekker muttered.

"Urumasa needs a master. It's calling for you."

"I will not answer Urumasa's calls. I have made my choice. Serena…"

"Will never be able to love you the way I do!" Dayu stepped out of the shadows and placed her hand on Dekker's arm. She heard him growling softly but she didn't pull away. He wouldn't hurt her. He had many chances to do so before and he never had. This time would be any different. "Dekker, she is human. You are not…"

"I will decide what I am!" Dekker roared and he ripped his arm away. "Urumasa can call to me all it wants. I will not be coming."

Dayu watched Dekker as he walked away from her again and she growled. If he wasn't going to go after the sword, she was going to have to find a way to bring it to him. To do that, she was going to have to borrow one of Master Xandred's Nighloks.


	3. Studying Dayu

Mentor Ji stared at his empty bookshelf as questions raced through his mind. The biggest question: where were all the books?

He noticed Jayden walking into the common room and held his hand up. Jayden saw the gesture and turned to Mentor.

"What's up?" he asked.

Mentor pointed to the bookshelf, "Notice anything missing?"

"Mia and Kevin's room," Jayden answered simply and pointed down the hallway. Mentor nodded his head and made his way over to Kevin and Mia's room. He knocked three times and waited a couple of seconds before stepping into the room. He had to catch himself before he tripped over a stack of books that had been placed behind the door, and he walked carefully around the books that lay carelessly on the floor. On her desk, Mia sat, flipping through the pages of one of the history books. Mentor cleared his throat, snapping her attention away from the books.

"What happened in here?" he asked Mia as he gestured to all the books. He picked one from the ground and held it up, "Do you have any idea how important these books are? They hold highly valuable information on the past Samurai Warriors as well as Master Xandred and his army."

"I know," Mia nodded, "that's why I'm reading them," she spun around in her chair and looked at Mentor Ji, "What do you know about Dayu?"

"Master Xandred's trusted servant?" Mentor frowned. "Not much. Why?"

"She seemed hurt," Mia bit her lip. "She was there when the Moogers attacked and she didn't seem like herself. I want to know why and if it has anything to do with Dekker."

"I wouldn't concern myself with Dayu," Mentor tried to warn Mia, "She had been one of Master Xandred's most loyal servant since long before I can remember. Whatever is happening to her won't keep her from killing you or one of the other Rangers the first chance she gets."

"I know that," Mia nodded.

"She can be tricky," Mentor added. "I remember your mother struggling in a battle against Dayu many years ago."

"Things are different now, Mentor," Mia said. "My mom didn't have to worry about Dekker. He wasn't around back then, for one reason or another. He's here now, and Dayu's different because of it. I want to know why."

Mentor sighed loudly and looked around the room. Mia was doing her research, and as long as she didn't do anything to put herself or the team in danger, he wouldn't stop her from trying to learn all she could about her enemy. He gestured to the books in the room.

"I want these put away when you are done with them," he said. "Meanwhile, please take care of them. Do not throw them around on the floor."

"Sorry, Mentor," Mia nodded her head apologetically. "I kind of got carried away. I'll take care of them, I swear."

"See that you do," with that, Mentor left the room, nearly bumping into Mike on his way out. The green Ranger didn't bother to knock on the door, as it was already open and Mia had seen him. He stepped inside with a laugh.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" he took a seat on Mia and Kevin's bed, "Did Mia, goody-two-shoes Mia, just get in trouble with Mentor Ji for having a messy room?"

"Shut up, Mike," Mia rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to do research."

"You crack me up," Mike smirked. "So, what are you going to do if you do find out Dayu can be saved. Are you, like, not going to kill her or what?"

"I'll have to see," Mia shrugged and she saw Mike's face fall slightly into a look of worry. She gave him a comforting smile, "Look, if it comes down to you or her, I'm choosing you; you have my word on that. But if there's anything I can do, at low risk for us, I'm going to do it."

"What are you hoping to find?" Mike asked. "You took a big risk with Dekker and you're so lucky that didn't blow up in your face. You could have had us all killed."

"If I didn't try we would have died anyways," Mia answered. "I don't know what I'm looking for with Dayu, but there's definitely something going on with her, and I think it's got something to do with Dekker."

"You know, if there is, you might be unravelling what's going on between Dekker and Serena, right? I mean, what if Dayu and Dekker were like… former lovers or something, I don't know. Dekker obviously doesn't remember and if he does, he doesn't want to go back. But if you meddle, we might have a love triangle on our hands."

"That's why I want to find out," Mia pointed to the books. "I don't want to do anything stupid. The last thing we all need is Dekker running back to Dayu and going back to the Nighlok he once was. It wouldn't be good for us and it wouldn't be good for Serena."

Mike bit his lip and nodded his head. He glanced around the room at the books and sighed.

"I know Kevin's talked to you about this, but please come to us before you do anything," Mike almost sounded desperate, so Mia nodded her head reassuringly. The last thing she wanted to do was put any of her friends in danger. If she was going to make a risky move, it was going to be thought out, and the entire team was going to be in on the plan.

Mike smiled slightly when he saw Mia nod and made his way to the door, "Please me careful, Mia. The last thing we need now is drama."

"I'll be careful, Mike."


	4. Deep Sea Dive

The Gap Sensor had sounded and the Rangers were rushing to find and destroy the Nighlok. Their legs couldn't carry them fast enough after they heard the Nighlok attack was on the beach, right on the spot where Serena tossed Urumasa into the ocean. Their hearts really began to pound once they arrived on the beach and saw Dayu standing by the water with a Nighlok that resembled a fish, a viperfish to be exact, with long, sharp fangs protruding from its mouth and claws on its hands, as well as an antenna sticking up from between his shoulders and hanging over the top of his head. At the end of the antenna was a photophore. At the moment, it glowed faintly.

"What are you doing here, Dayu?" Jayden asked. The last thing he wanted to do was inform Dayu of just how close she was to Urumasa. It was likely she had found out what happened to the sword, but he didn't want to give her any clues just in case she didn't know. "There aren't many people you can torture on this part of the beach."

"You Rangers always have terrible timing," Dayu rolled her eyes and signalled for the Nighlok to step towards the ocean, "No matter. Moogers!"

From beneath the rocks, dozens of Moogers appeared from the Netherworld and charged directly for the Rangers, keeping them distracted while Dayu turned to her Nighlok servant and pointed out into the water.

"Urumasa is deep," she told the fish Nighlok. "I need you to find it and bring it back."

The Nighlok nodded its head and started towards the ocean. Jayden saw he was headed for the water and couldn't give the Nighlok a chance to disturb Urumasa. It was fine where it was. He knocked down a Mooger and rushed to the Nighlok, swinging his sword and slashing down the Nighlok's back.

"You're not going anywhere near the water, fish face," Jayden roared as he delivered blow after blow to the Nighlok, knocking it further and further away from the water until suddenly a light caught Jayden's eye. He looked up at the photophore as it glowed. There was something about the light that seemed to intrigue him and he forgot all about protecting Urumasa and defeating the Nighlok. He wanted to stare at the light. He lowered his sword and dropped it in the sand as he took a step closer to the Nighlok.

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest as the Nighlok swiped at him with his sharp fangs and then reached his mouth forward to bite. The only thing that saved Jayden from truly excruciating pain was his Ranger suit, though it quickly failed him after the Nighlok bit down on his shoulder.

Jayden fell to his knees. He held his injured arm with his good hand as he reached out to grab his sword with his bad arm, ignoring the pain. He was just about to grab his sword when he saw the light again and found himself mesmerized by it again, making himself vulnerable to another attack.

"Jayden!" Antonio and Kevin cried as they broke away from the Moogers and rushed to their leader's aid. They arrived just in time to stop another attack from the Nighlok and while Kevin fought him off, Antonio checked up on his best friend.

"Jay, are you okay?" he asked. Jayden, no longer mesmerized by the light, looked to Antonio and nodded his head.

"I've had worse," he assured the gold Ranger. "I'll be fine."

"No fair!" the Rangers heard the Nighlok crying out as the light dimmed and his body started cracking up, "I'm drying out! Looks like we'll have to try this again later, Dayu!"

"No! You can't just…" Dayu trailed off as her Nighlok disappeared beneath a rock and returned to the Sanzu River. She stomped her foot and turned to the Rangers, clearly angry, "This isn't over yet! We'll be back for Urumasa!"

When she was gone the Rangers powered down and rushed over to Jayden and Antonio. Once they were sure Jayden was fine, Emily and Kevin glared at Mike, Mia and Antonio.

"We told you," Emily said. "We need to get Urumasa!"

"Now that Dayu knows where it is, yeah," Mike nodded. "Why would she want it, though?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Kevin asked. He carefully helped Jayden get back to his feet and had to make sure the red Ranger was okay one more time. "It's the most powerful sword in existence. If it could swing itself, I'm sure it wouldn't need a master. It could take on an army of men singlehandedly."

Jayden rubbed his shoulder and chest and nodded his head, "We can't just leave it down there anymore. We need to get it before Dayu and that Nighlok do. I don't want to know why she wants it, and I intend on never finding out."

"Dekker," Mia whispered. The Rangers groaned as they turned to her.

"Mia…"

"What?" Mia shot Kevin a look. He didn't back down though.

"Maybe Master Xandred wants the sword."

"Maybe," Mia nodded, "but he didn't want it before. Why would he suddenly change his mind? Dayu's got her own agenda here, and I think it involves Dekker."

"By involves Dekker… what do you mean?" Emily asked. "Do you think… is he…?"

"I hope not, Emy," Mia shook her head. "But we'll only know for sure next time we see him."

"You mean after he's killed my sister!"

"He wouldn't do that," Mike wrapped his arms around Emily. "Dayu's just crazy. Whatever this plan of hers is, I doubt Dekker's got any clue about it."

"Either way, I would feel better if we had Urumasa with us," Jayden said. "We don't want to give Dekker the chance to betray us again, and we certainly don't want Dayu or Master Xandred getting their hands on Urumasa. We're getting that sword."

"How?" Mia asked as she turned to the water. She didn't see how they could reach the bottom of the ocean to retrieve the sword. It was too far and too deep.

Jayden looked to Antonio, "Think Octozord can handle a deep-sea dive?"

"You're… you're kidding, right?" Mike stammered, growing very nervous. The last thing he wanted to do when there was a Nighlok on the loose was head to the bottom of the ocean when he knew that was where the Nighlok was headed as well. "Jayden, if that Nighlok comes back we'll be calamari!"

"He's dried up. If we head down now we'll have a huge head start. Hopefully it'll be enough to go down, retrieve the sword, and come back up."

"And how exactly are we going to find this sword?" Mia asked. "A current could have taken it miles away."

"It's a powerful sword. We have to hope it'll make itself known when we get close to it," Jayden said. He looked at his team, "We have to try. We can't let Urumasa fall into the wrong hands."

Antonio, following his leader's orders, summoned Octozord and placed him in the sand. While he told the Octozord what the plan was, the Rangers exchanged worried looks.

"I don't like this…" Mike said. "I really, really don't like this…"


	5. Finding Urumasa

Jayden took a few deep breaths before reminding himself that he was still on dry land. It had been about an hour since the Octozord and three of the Rangers had gone under the water and he was really starting to get nervous. Because there was still a Nighlok roaming about, ready to attack at any moment, Jayden and the other Rangers thought it was best to split the team. Sending everyone down in the Octozord would mean leaving the city completely vulnerable to attack, and if, God-forbid, anything happened to the Rangers during the dive; there would still be strong, healthy Rangers to defend the city.

The Rangers on land were also going to try and keep the Nighlok from getting in the water. The longer they could hold him off, the more time they had to find and retrieve Urumasa.

Antonio had gone down in the Octozord. That was an easy decision. Octozord belonged to him and it would listen to the gold Ranger.

Kevin had also gone under. Because he was the water Samurai and the strongest swimmer, it felt right to ask him to head down. If they needed someone to head into the waters and retrieve Urumasa by hand, Kevin would be the only suitable choice.

Because Kevin had gone under, Jayden opted to stay on land. While all the other Samurai had come a long way in their training, Kevin and Jayden were still the two best swordsmen. Splitting them up would help keep the teams balanced in terms of strength. Not only that, but Jayden knew that he would be just as much help on land as he would be in the cockpit of the Octozord. He could keep in contact with the Rangers thanks to the Samuraizers and lead the team that way.

Mia had also decided to stay on land. Dayu had promised to return for Urumasa, and Mia wanted to be there when she did. Dayu was becoming more and more complicated to Mia, and the pink Ranger didn't want to miss a single chance at interacting with Dayu. The more she could find out about the female Nighlok, the closer she was to figuring out Dayu's story.

Jayden wanted to keep the two teams as balanced as possible. That meant keeping three people on land and sending three people into the ocean. With himself and Mia on the beach, and Kevin and Antonio needed in the Octozord, only Mike and Emily were left and the couple would have to be split so the teams were fair. To everyone's surprise, Emily had volunteered to go with Kevin and Antonio. The last thing she wanted was Urumasa to come back at full power and find its way back into Dekker's hands. She had too much to lose if this mission failed and wanted to make sure things would go her way.

"Any sign of Urumasa?" Jayden asked the underwater team through his Samuraizer. It was unlikely they made it to the bottom of the ocean just yet, but he wanted to keep in constant communication with the Rangers to make sure nothing had happened to them.

"Just a lot of fish," Antonio replied. "We'll get there; we just have to take our time."

"Be very careful," Jayden said. "We don't want to lose half the team because of a little mishap."

-Samurai-

Urumasa's voice was loud in his head, louder than it had ever been when it had been in Dekker's possession, but Dekker refused to give into the sword again. He couldn't quite remember what had intrigued him about Urumasa in the first place, but now that he was free of the sword he didn't want to go back. Urumasa could call him all it wanted, but he was never going to answer. He would never go back to the monster he once was. Life for him was so much better without the sword.

He sat down on a park bench and did what he always did when Urumasa's voice starting to overwhelm him. He shut his eyes and thought about Serena. There was something about her that made Dekker feel good about himself, and the better he felt, the weaker Urumasa's calls. He knew that if he just kept his focus on Serena, he could be a good person. He could change his ways, ignore Urumasa and his Nighlok half and live like any regular man.

His sword continued to call him, but the voice was slowly disappearing into the background as Dekker imagined himself going to the Tengen Gate to be with Serena for good. His heart warmed. Soon he would be home.

-Samurai-

"You're okay, right?" Mike asked with worry in his voice as he clutched his Samuraizer and spoke to the team in the Octozord. "You still have enough oxygen, right? You're not having any trouble breathing…"

"Relax, amigo," Antonio laughed on the other end, "Octozord's not going to let us down. We'll be fine. You just have to focus on keeping the Nighlok out of the water."

"Speaking of," Jayden said and Mike looked up at his leader and saw Jayden was pointing up the beach. Mike turned and saw Dayu was making her way back with the Nighlok.

Mia got up from the sand and stood beside Jayden. Mike followed suit.

"If you're going after Urumasa you can kiss those dreams goodbye!" Mike shouted to Dayu and the Nighlok. "We're not letting you get anywhere near the water!"

"Only three Rangers?" the Nighlok chuckled and Dayu scanned the beach for the missing three. "This is going to be easy."

"Just do what I asked you to do," Dayu growled to the Nighlok. "You're here to retrieve the sword. Get in the water, the Moogers will handle these Rangers."

Dayu snapped her fingers and Moogers flooded the beach. They wasted no time going after the Rangers while the Nighlok wormed his way through the crowd and tried to reach the waters. He wasn't going to get their easily though. Just as he was about to step foot in the water he was blinded by a storm of leaves and he staggered backwards, away from the shore. Mike rushed towards him, forest spear in hand.

"Not so fast!" he shouted, slashing the Nighlok across the chest.

Knowing Jayden could handle the Moogers and with Mike distracting the Nighlok, Mia made her way towards Dayu, sword at the ready just in case she attacked.

"What's with your newfound obsession with Urumasa?" Mia asked Dayu. "It's not like Dekker and Master Xandred ever got along."

"Master Xandred's no idiot," Dayu stated. "He knows Dekker could be useful. As long as you Rangers tire yourselves out fighting him, there will be no one standing in his way."

"Yeah, because that worked well the first time," Mia rolled her eyes behind her helmet. "In case you missed it, Dekker walked away from the sword. He doesn't want it back."

"He has no idea what he wants," Dayu said. "I know what's best for Dekker. He is nothing without Urumasa."

"So you're just going to hand it to him and hope he takes it?"

"He will take it. No matter how far apart they are Dekker and Urumasa are still connected."

"And what do you think will happen after that?" Mia asked. "Dekker will thank you for giving him his sword back and he'll fall into your arms."

"Serena is not worthy of his love."

"And you are?"

Dayu glared at the pink Ranger, "You have no idea what you're talking about. Dekker and I go way back, long before you were ever born. Long before Serena was born. This isn't how it was supposed to be."

"And how was it…?"

"Mia!" Jayden's cries interrupted Mia and she turned to see the red Ranger struggling to hold the Nighlok off while Mike sat in the sand, completely mesmerized by the light on the monster's head. The pink Ranger turned away from Dayu and rushed to help her friends. She took the Nighlok by surprise when she slashed her sword down his back. With two on one, the Nighlok had no choice but to back away before he got hurt. His eyes strayed to the water. He knew he needed to jump in before he dried out and all this would have been for nothing again.

He turned back to the Rangers, his light glowing more than before and their movements slowed. While they were fascinated by his light, he began to step towards the water. They dropped their weapons and followed him, very slowly.

"That's right, Rangers. Look at the pretty light," he chuckled to himself. He could feel the cold water at his feet and smiled. "Just keep staring at the light while I jump in."

The Nighlok did exactly as he said and dove straight into the water, disappearing in an instant and the rangers snapped out of their trance. They shook their heads and searched the beach.

"Where did he go?" Mike asked and he began to panic when he saw the Nighlok was nowhere in sight. "Where is he? What happened?"

Jayden rushed into the water and dove in. He tried to swim after the Nighlok. He knew it was useless, but he had to do anything he could. The other Rangers were almost completely defenseless if the Nighlok chose to attack them. They were too deep to swim up to the surface if they ran into trouble.

The red Ranger soon found himself running out of breath and he surfaced and started heading back to shore, feeling completely defeated and useless.

Mia glared at Dayu through her visor just before powering down. She saw the smirk on the Nighlok's face.

"Dekker's his own man," she told the Nighlok woman. "He makes his own decisions. He doesn't need you telling him what he should do or who he should be."

"Mind your own business, pink Ranger," Dayu never took her eyes off the water and the smirk never fell from her face. "I will get that sword and when I do your days will be numbered."

With that, Dayu disappeared.

Jayden crawled through the sand and fell down onto his back near Mia and Mike, breathing loudly. He pounded his fists into the sand and let out a frustrated cry.

"Dammit!"

Mike pulled out his Samuraizer and fumbled slightly before holding it to his mouth, "Emily, Kevin, Antonio, where are you guys?"

"Heading down still. No sign of Urumasa," Emily answered. "We could be down here for a while still. Right now we're hoping it got caught in a reef or on a rock or something."

"You guys better hurry up," Mike told her. "The Nighlok got away… he's in the ocean."

"What!" Mike could see Emily's eyes jumping out of her head in his mind.

Jayden pulled out his Samuraizer, "You guys can't risk going too far down anymore. Stay at a safe level just in case you run into trouble."

"What about Urumasa?" Antonio asked. "We have to find it!"

"We can only hope it didn't sink down too far. Keep searching but come back up at the first sign of trouble," Jayden ordered.

"Aye, aye captain," Antonio chuckled just before the three Rangers on the beach heard some muffling in the background. Antonio's voice then came back very excited, "We found it!"

"What?" Mia asked through her Samuraizer.

"Urumasa! It's right there! Kevin just found it!"

Jayden, Mike and Mia couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Are you sure it's Urumasa?" Jayden asked. He didn't want to get his hopes up. He knew there were a lot of lost treasures at the bottom of the ocean.

"Positive," came Emily's reply.

"Octozord's too big to reach it," Kevin said. "I'm going to have to go out there and retrieve it."

"Not alone," Mia said quickly. "Never alone. Someone has to go with you."

"I'll stay with Octozord in case the two of you run into trouble," Antonio offered. "He'll listen best to me."

"Can you do this, Emily?" Mike asked his girlfriend.

"I have to. I don't want to find out what'll happen if Urumasa falls into the wrong hands. Especially if those hands belong to Dekker."

"Stay safe," Mike told her. "Stick close to Kevin. He'll tell you what to… Emily?"

"Kevin!" Mia called as static cut the communication between the two teams. "Kevin! Can you hear me?"

"Emily!" Mike shouted into his Samuraizer. When he got no response he threw it into the sand and turned to Jayden, "What the hell happened?"

Jayden shrugged his shoulders as he worked on his own Samuraizer, trying to reconnect with any of the Rangers under the water. There was no reason they should have lost contact unless something had happened and he needed to figure out what.

After a few minutes of desperately pressing buttons, Jayden gave Mike and Mia a glum look. In response, Mike glared angrily at Jayden, as if this was somehow his fault.

Mia looked out at the water and shook her head. She wasn't just going to sit and wait to see if something happened. She summoned her turtle Zord and it appeared in moments. Shortly after that it grew and jumped into the water. Mia turned to the two boys.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"Your turtle can't go down as far as Octozord…"

"I'm not just sitting here!" Mia shouted to Jayden. She climbed onto her turtle's shell. Mike was right behind her. "C'mon, Jayden. We're useless out here. We may as well try something! Anything!"

Jayden nodded his head and hopped up. With all its passengers on board, the turtle began swimming out to sea.


	6. Getting To Safety

"Octozord and I will hold him off," Antonio said to Kevin and Emily as they were thrown around the cockpit of the Octozord. The folding Zord was doing its very best to fight off the Nighlok and keep its passengers safe. "You guys go for the sword."

"Right," Kevin nodded his head and turned to Emily, "Ready?"

Emily secured her breathing apparatus over her mouth and gave Kevin a thumbs up. He quickly did the same and turned to Antonio and signalled for the gold Ranger to let them out.

"Good luck! Don't worry about me!" Antonio called. He looked around the Octozord's cockpit, "Alright, amigo, we've got to stop that fish!"

Antonio suddenly felt the Octozord calming down and he wondered what was going on. When he looked out he saw the Nighlok was flashing his light. Antonio quickly looked away before he too was mesmerized.

"No, no, buddy! Come on, snap out of it!" Antonio called. "It's just a light! There's nothing special about it!"

Antonio was suddenly shaken around and he knew this wasn't by choice. The Nighlok was ramming himself into Octozord with all his might, trying to break the folding Zord. Compare to the Octozord, the Nighlok was too small to cause any real damage with his teeth, and while his claws left some nasty marks, they couldn't tear through the metal. However, Octozord was completely at his mercy because he was fascinated by the light and couldn't do anything except stare.

"No es bueno!" Antonio tried grabbing onto whatever he could to keep himself steady as Octozord thrashed around wildly. "C'mon, Octozord, I need you! Fight back! Whoa!"

Antonio was thrown off his feet and slammed into the wall as the Nighlok rammed himself into Octozord with more power than any time before. Antonio knew the beating was wearing Octozord, and he wouldn't be able to survive much longer. He needed to start heading towards the surface.

There was only one problem. Kevin and Emily were still in the water. He couldn't leave them, especially with the Nighlok right on their tail.

Antonio slammed his fists against the ground, "Octozord, snap out of it!"

In the water, not too far away, Kevin and Emily were swimming as fast as they could to get to Urumasa. Kevin was in the lead with Emily right on his tail. Only a few more feet and they would be without grabbing distance of the sword.

Kevin caught onto a rock and pulled himself in closer. Urumasa was trapped down in a crevasse and Kevin had to stick his arm between the rocks to reach. His arm was a little too short though, and his body was too big to squeeze through. He turned to Emily as she swam up next to him and pointed to the sword. Emily nodded her head and examined the crevasse. She wasn't sure if she could fit between the rocks with her oxygen tank on her back, but she knew she had to try. The blue Ranger gave her a look, telling her to be careful. Emily smiled back for a quick moment before her eyes widened. Kevin saw this and turned around just in time to see the Nighlok coming right for him and Emily.

He gestured to Emily to go after Urumasa while he held off the Nighlok. With no other choice, Emily nodded her head and tried to squeeze her way into the crevasse. To her dismay she was too big.

She turned back to Kevin to check up on him, hoping she had a little time to figure this out. Unfortunately, Kevin wasn't doing very well against the Nighlok. Underwater battles were difficult, even for the strongest of swimmers, and the Nighlok, with his teeth and fangs, had the clear advantage.

Emily couldn't figure out what to do. She needed the sword. She needed to know it was out of danger. She couldn't let this Nighlok, Dayu, Dekker, or anyone else get their hands on it. It was too dangerous. But she couldn't leave Kevin to fight the Nighlok on his own. She had to do something.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her head and she screwed her eyes shut.

"_I can keep them safe,"_ a voice said inside her head and Emily looked around. _"I can get you and your friends to safety, but you must return the favour."_

Emily's eyes fell onto Urumasa and she saw the sword was glowing slightly. Her eyes widened in terror. Was it talking to her? She quickly looked back at Kevin and the Nighlok, hoping maybe one of them had said something, though she knew underwater it wasn't likely. When she turned to the blue Ranger and the Nighlok, she saw the Nighlok swimming towards her. Panicking, and knowing there was no other option, Emily ripped off her breathing apparatus and squeezed herself into the crevasse. She grabbed Urumasa and suddenly knew what to do. As the Nighlok tried to worm his way in, Emily slashed at him with Urumasa

He recoiled in pain and held his chest, giving Emily enough room to swim out of the crevasse.

-Samurai-

Dekker woke up in the park after a pleasant nap under a big tree. Urumasa's chatter in his head never ceased, but it had quieted down when he thought of Serena and the less he heard the voice, the more tired he felt. He made his way under a large, shady tree and closed his eyes, thinking of the woman he loved.

But now that he was awake there was no more noise in his head. No chatter from Urumasa, not even a faint buzzing. He was relieved for a moment, thinking he had finally won his internal battle with the sword and it would leave him alone. But the longer he sat without the noise, the more he started to feel empty, like something was missing. He thought that ridding himself of Urumasa would make his feel good, like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. However, that was not what he was experiencing. Something bad had happened. Someone else had the sword.

Terrified of who it could possibly be, Dekker jumped to his feet and started running. Urumasa was a nasty sword, and whoever it chose to be its new Master was in for a lifetime of hardship.

-Samurai-

Mia sat on her turtle's back as feelings or worry, dread and regret washed over her. She had no idea what happened to Kevin, Emily and Antonio, and there was nothing she could do to help them. Her Samuraizer and the turtle Zord's instincts told her that she was floating right over them, but they were too far underwater to help. Mia could only hope they would be able to get back to the surface.

She couldn't help but feel this was her fault. If she hadn't been so concerned with Dayu she would have been there to stop the Nighlok from getting into the ocean. Mike and Jayden wouldn't have been left on their own against the Nighlok and the Moogers. It was because of her that the Nighlok got away and her fiancé, her little sister, and one of her best friends were in danger. Tears formed in her eyes as she stared at the water.

Mike was sitting on the turtle's fins as he too looked out at the water. He was tapping his fingers against his knee impatiently, hoping he would see one of his friends surfacing soon. Just as he, Mia and Jayden starting to give up hope, the little Octozord broke the surface, tugging Antonio behind him.

"Jayden!" Mike shouted, running to the end of the turtle's fin and reaching out for the Octozord. He scooped the little squid up while Jayden dove in to grab Antonio.

The red Ranger lifted his best friend onto the turtle's fin and laid Antonio on his back. He tapped the gold Ranger's cheek.

"Don't be dead. Don't be dead… Antonio!" Jayden cried happily as Antonio began to cough out the water from his lungs. When the water was clear, Jayden pulled his best friend into a hug. "You made it!"

"Barely," Antonio nodded. "Octozord took quite a beating, though."

Mike looked at the Zord in his arms. He seemed slightly damaged, but nothing that couldn't easily be fixed back at him.

"He'll be fine," he assured the gold Ranger.

"What about Kevin and Emily?" Mia asked Antonio as she slid down the shell onto her turtle Zord's fin. Antonio shrugged his shoulders.

"I wish I could tell you," he said. "The Nighlok was pretty tough. He hurt Octozord pretty bad. By the time he was finished with us there was nothing I could do to help them."

"You did what you could," Jayden assured his best friend while using his symbol power to create a towel to wrap around Antonio and keep him warm. He looked out at the water for the other two Rangers and smiled when he saw something break the surface.

A little ways away from the turtle, Kevin and Emily reached the surface of the water and Kevin quickly pulled off his breathing apparatus. It was too heavy to keep with him, and now that he was no longer submerged under the water he didn't need it. He turned to Emily, looking her in the eyes to make sure she was okay. She nodded her head.

"Urumasa?" he asked. While swimming to the surface he had seen Emily had it with her and wanted to make sure she didn't drop it. Emily lifted it out of the water slightly. Kevin sighed in relief just before spotting Mia's giant turtle Zord. He figured Emily would be able to swim to safety by herself, but there was no way he was going to risk losing her and Urumasa. He wrapped his arm around her and started pulling her towards the turtle.

He reached Mia's Zord and took Urumasa from Emily's hand. He placed it on the fin before lifting her up. Mike snatched her from his hands and pulled her to safety. He wrapped her up in his arms, happy to see she was alive.

Kevin pulled himself up onto the fin but was almost knocked right back into the water again by Mia. He held her tight and promised her he was okay.

"You got Urumasa," Jayden said, looking at the sword happily. Now that it was in his hands he could rest easy knowing it was safe. There was too much power in the sword to let it fall into a Nighlok's hands.

"It's wasn't easy, huh, Em," Kevin smiled as he turned to Emily. She nodded her head but didn't say a word. Thinking it was just because she was shaken up the Rangers didn't concern themselves with her silence.

Emily was anything but silent though, at least in her mind. A voice kept screaming to her that her opponent was near, and it was also reminding her how she needed to return the favour. It had done something for her, now she needed to do something for it.

"_We had a deal. You know what I want. I will not rest until I get it."_

"Let's go home," Mia suggested, wanting to get away from this nightmare before anything else happened. "You can tell us how you got Urumasa once we're home."


	7. There's A Reason

Mia put the last of the Samurai history books back on the shelf, vowing to herself never to touch them again. Dayu was a monster, through and through, there was no saving her. Trying to do so would only put the Rangers in danger. Mia knew she had to stay focused. She had been lucky with Dekker, that was it.

Mentor saw Mia alone in the common room, and he saw the books were back on the shelf where they belonged. He was a little surprised she had chosen now to put them all away. He thought she would be resting with the other Rangers.

"You are not tired?" he asked her. Mia shook her head.

"I can't sleep."

"Still, I thought you wouldn't be leaving Kevin's side," Mentor said. He gestured to the books, "You have learned all you needed?"

"Dayu's not worth it. Whatever she had with Dekker isn't worth finding out. If I hadn't been so curious I could have helped Mike and Jayden. We could have stopped that Nighlok."

"We all make mistakes…"

"But they paid the price, Mentor," Mia fell onto her stool. "That Nighlok could have killed them! Kevin, Emily, Antonio… they were counting on me."

"Not just you, Mia," Mentor took a seat across from Mia. "You aren't entirely to blame. You are part of a team."

"I should have known better, though," Mia dropped her head into her hands and sighed. "I screwed things up, and for what? What would it have mattered how Dayu felt about Dekker? He obviously doesn't care for her anymore… and my screw up could have only made things worse."

"Why do you say that?" Mentor asked.

Mia shrugged her shoulders, "If the Nighlok had won… if he did get Urumasa and gave it to Dayu… she wanted to give it to Dekker… what if that had changed everything? What if he did go back to her? What if he did what she wanted him to do? Serena would be heartbroken and we would have to worry about him all over again! It's not worth it."

"It Dekker can be swayed that easily do you really want him near Serena or the other Rangers?" Mentor asked. He got to his feet and walked over to Mia. He placed his hand on her shoulder, "Things have a way of working out for the best. Sometimes it just takes a little time. Yes, your obsession with the truth could have cost you three of your team-mates, but fortunately they are all home safe and sound, and we have Urumasa in our hands. Things could have been worse."

"I guess," Mia nodded her head. "Still, I'm done with Dayu. No more research. I won't let this happen again, Mentor, I promise."

"I know you won't," Mentor smiled.

-Samurai-

"They got away!" Dayu screeched and her Nighlok coward in terror after delivering the bad news. After the yellow Ranger got Urumasa and attacked him with it, he didn't have the energy to go after her and he had started drying up. Unless he wanted to die in the human world, he had to let the Rangers leave with the sword.

Dayu was no happy about this. All she had asked of the Nighlok was that he retrieved the sword so she could give it back to Dekker and he would once again be the man she fell in love with. But he couldn't even do that. He had failed her and she wouldn't tolerate failure.

"I'm sorry," the Nighlok lowered his head. "I can go back there and finish…"

"It's too late!" Dayu shouted. "You are worthless to me now! Once Master Xandred hears of your failures I'm sure he'll dispose of you like all the other useless trash on this ship. There is no room for pathetic Nighlok in the Sanzu River. Urumasa should have finished you when it had the chance!"

Dayu stormed out of her cabin, leaving the Nighlok alone for its final moments. It wouldn't be long before Master Xandred found out and he finished the Nighlok off himself.

In the darkened hallway, Dayu leaned against the wall. Retrieving Urumasa had been her only hope at bringing back her true love. Now that Urumasa was with the Rangers, she knew it would be impossible to bring Dekker back.

She fell to her knees and began to weep.

-Samurai-

"_I need the blood of a worthy opponent. All I ask is the blood of a warrior. You must do as I say!"_

Emily sat up in bed as she was pulled from her sleep. She was panting loudly and covered in a coat of sweat. Her entire body began to shake as a strong voice echoed in her mind. She grabbed her head with her hands and leaned forward.

"Shut up," she whispered so as not to wake up Mike. She didn't want to worry him.

"_Take me in your hand, I will guide you. Just do as I say!"_

Emily shook her head, "No…"

Mike woke up to the sound of Emily muttering to herself and he rolled over in her bed. He saw her holding her head in pain and sat up. He placed a gentle head on her back.

"Still have that headache?" he asked her. Emily nodded her head. Before going to bed she had told Mike about her headache, but left out the part about Urumasa's voice. She didn't want him to worry and she was sure it would pass. Urumasa was locked away now and it would never hurt anyone again.

Mike saw her nod and kissed her cheek. He threw the blankets off and got out of bed, "I'll get you something for the pain. Just try and relax, okay.

"_Go now,_" the voice told her when Mike left the room, _"Before he returns."_

"Leave me alone," Emily muttered, "You can't control me," she fell back into the bed and buried her head under her pillow, though that did nothing to muffle the voice.


End file.
